A Kaduna-based Christian cleric, Pastor Yohanna Buru, has honoured a Muslim scholar, Sheikh Usman Mohammed Mai-Mota, for dedicating more than five decades to Islamic education and training over 10,000 youths across Northern Nigeria.
The General Overseer of the Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry, Buru, led a delegation of Christian clerics to Sheikh Usman’s school, where they presented him with an award in recognition of his contributions to Islamic education, youth development and community building.
He said Sheikh Usman had spent more than 50 years teaching the Qur’an, Hadith, Tafsir, Arabic and other aspects of Islamic studies to children and youths from different parts of Northern Nigeria.
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According to him, many of the scholars’ students had gone on to become Islamic scholars, Arabic teachers and lecturers in schools, learning centres and other institutions across the country.
Buru said the recognition was intended to appreciate the elderly scholar’s contribution and encourage him to continue his educational work despite his advancing age.
He described Sheikh Usman’s lifelong commitment to educating young people as a significant service to humanity, stressing that individuals who dedicate their lives to training thousands of youths deserved to be recognised and encouraged.
“We came to honour him, appreciate his contribution and thank him for the service he has rendered to humanity through Islamic education,” Buru said.
He noted that the gesture was also aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence and strengthening relationships between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna State.
Buru, who was recognised during the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2022, said Sheikh Usman’s efforts had contributed to producing generations of Islamic teachers and scholars.
The delegation said available information indicated that the scholar had trained more than 10,000 youths, many of whom were now working as Arabic teachers, Islamic scholars and lecturers across Northern Nigeria.
Also speaking, Pastor Emmanuel John described Sheikh Usman’s contribution as remarkable, saying his commitment to educating young people had left a lasting impact on communities.
He said the visit was not only to honour the scholar but also to strengthen mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Muslims.
“We came to commend his remarkable contribution and strengthen the relationship between Muslims and Christians, with the aim of promoting peace, unity and better understanding in the state,” John stated.
Responding, Sheikh Usman expressed appreciation to the Christian delegation, describing the recognition as the first award he had received in more than 50 years of teaching.
He said he had spent decades teaching Arabic, Hadith, Qur’an and other Islamic studies and had trained more than 10,000 youths who were now teaching and lecturing at Islamic centres, schools and institutions across the 19 northern states.
Although advancing age had slowed his activities, Sheikh Usman said the recognition had renewed his commitment to continue educating young Muslims.
He thanked the Christian clerics for the honour and prayed for God to bless their efforts toward promoting peace, unity and understanding between the two faith communities.
“This is the first award I have received in my life for dedicating myself to educating youths who can today read and recite the Holy Qur’an,” he disclosed.
